


Broken Down

by marieadriana



Series: Maintaining Discipline [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bottom Steve Rogers, Comfort Sex, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotionally Constipated Tony Stark, M/M, Massage, Pining Steve Rogers, Top Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 15:43:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18781276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marieadriana/pseuds/marieadriana
Summary: Tony refuses to admit that his post-battle sex with Steve might be anything more than fun -- but that doesn't stop him from seeking out Steve when he knows his Captain is emotionally compromised.And yeah, his solution involves fucking his brains out, but that's how they work, right?





	Broken Down

**Author's Note:**

> This one's plottier yet. I'd apologize, but I'm not sorry. I can assure you that the next one has less plot and more sex... but I can't seem to stop these two boys from throwing emotions around.

Tony would never admit to worrying that their off-field behavior would change things. That was another thing they didn’t talk about – well. Really both the fear, and the behavior. But when it came time for him to seek Steve out, he found the fear really didn’t matter.

They’d made it off the battlefield. Thor had taken Bruce up to bed – Hulking out always left him in need of food and sleep. (Tony might entertain a fantasy or two about what else might happen in those instances.) Ordinarily he and Steve would either be burning off stress or splitting off to shower and eat. 

Except Clint had done a dumbass thing in the field, and now was being evaluated in medical. Natasha was with him – duh – but that left Steve outside medical, pacing.

And kind of driving the nurses crazy.

Tony wasn’t sure if the crazy part was because Steve wouldn’t settle down and stop moving or because he hadn’t changed out of his uniform yet, and his ass looked amazing.

Either way, Tony kind of figured he should do something to distract the good Captain before he either caused a rash of swooning SHIELD nurses or got jabbed with a sedative.

“Cap.” Tony inserted himself in Steve’s pace path. “He’s gonna be fine. At worst, it’s a broken leg. Chances are he just sprained the hell out of it.”

“I know that!” Steve so rarely raised his voice outside fighting and training that it made both Tony’s eyebrows raise. Steve halted his pacing and rubbed his forehead with one hand. (He’d shed the gloves, at least – Tony liked that.) “Sorry. Just – sorry.”

Tony flickered his eyes around the room before stepping closer to Steve. “You want to get out of here?”

Steve did – fiercely. For more reasons than Tony’s undersuited-clad body. (God, Steve loved that undersuit.) “I can’t.”

“Pretty sure Birdbrain doesn’t expect you to hover at his bedside, Cap.” Tony brushed his hand over Steve’s arm. “Nat’s got him.”

Turning away, Steve sucked in a breath and forced it out, slowly. “I just watched our team’s sniper sharpshooter fall off a really high drop in front of me, and I couldn’t get to him.”

Realization dawned in Tony’s eyes. “Christ. Okay. Yeah.” And despite a paralytic allergy to emotions, Tony tugged Steve in for a hug. “He’s gonna be fine, Steve.”

Steve yielded easy against him, dropping his head to just rest there. His head swam with things he couldn’t say. “As soon as I can check on him myself, I’ll get out of here.” 

“Okay.” Tony tugged him towards a couch and pushed him onto it. He settled next to the supersoldier and pulled out his phone. Steve looked at him blankly. “What?” Tony felt his cheeks heat. “Did you think I was going to leave you here alone? Jesus, Steve, if somebody isn’t here to make you sit down you’re going to cause heart palpitations in the staff, marching around in here in that uniform.”

More words he couldn’t say pushed against Steve, but he merely nodded and pressed his shoulder against Tony’s.

It took another hour for Steve to get in to see Clint. He didn’t stay long. The leg was broken, but it would heal. Clint was going to be fitted with a cast and Natasha had assured him that she’d see to Clint’s recovery. Steve didn’t doubt her.

Finally dragging himself out of medical, Steve was almost surprised that Tony was still dogging his steps. “You don’t have to stay.”

“And miss out on my post-fight ride? Come on, Cap.” Tony tried to make light of it – really. “I’ve been watching that ass for hours, you wouldn’t ask me to deny myself now, would you?”

“I suppose not.” Steve tried to find the lightness for banter and failed. Tried to find the place where he was okay with a quick roll in the hay and couldn’t find it either.

Tony pushed Steve into an elevator, and then down the hall to the captain’s quarters. Steve’s passivity concerned him a little, but he let it ride for now. Once inside Steve’s room, Tony urged him to strip out of his uniform. “Goddamn, you’re a thing of beauty,” Tony whistled, watching skin bared. “I could eat you up.”

“Thanks.”

Maybe it was the brevity of the answer or something in the tone, but Tony’s eyes were drawn to Steve’s. “Hey.” Tony caught his hands where they were starting to peel the uniform down his hips and stilled them. “We don’t have to do this, Steve. I just thought – I thought it might help, not to be alone.”

Steve wrapped his arms around Tony and pressed his nose just under Tony’s ear. He just held him, feeling the reassuring hardness of the arc reactor pressing into his chest. That meant Tony was alive. That little circle of light meant he wasn’t going to lose Tony too. “Sorry. I’m all over the place.”

“You’re allowed.” Tony’s hand came up to stroke through Steve’s hair. “Do you want me to go?”

“No.” He really, really wanted Tony to stay. He just wanted it for different reasons that Tony was willing to give. Steve dropped down onto the bed, still wearing his uniform from ankles to hips. 

Tony sat down on his knees, straddling him. “What do you need, Steve?”

And God, that question stung. Steve knew if he said it – knew if he was honest about what he wanted and needed right now – Tony would be out the door in a heartbeat. The man didn’t do emotions, and Steve knew that. But Steve was worn raw right now. He’d had the worst flashback since defrosting when Clint dropped out of his reach – it had been almost identical to Bucky’s fall, and Steve couldn’t deal. Even knowing Clint was safe, he felt worn thin. 

In answer, he wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist and pulled his close. He wished he had the energy to kiss him, but all Steve wanted to do was rest his head against Tony’s chest, right next to the arc reactor.

“Okay.” Tony cupped the back of his head. “You need tender, then?” Steve’s eyes stung and he nodded. “On one condition.”

“Name it.”

“We don’t talk about it, and it doesn’t change anything.” Tony continued to pet Steve’s hair.

Steve sighed, tightening his arms around Tony. “That’s two conditions, doll.” But he could live with them. “Deal.”

Tony feathered his fingers through Steve’s hair and leaned forward to kiss him. It was indeed tender – almost achingly so. The soft press of lips unlocked something in Steve that he knew he could never share aloud. “Everyone’s home safe,” Tony murmured between kisses. “You’re a good captain, to care about your men. We’re safer for it.” His kisses extended to Steve’s cheeks and then over his closed eyes. “When one of us gets hurt, it isn’t your fault.”

“It’s my responsibility,” Steve whispered. The hands he had around Tony shifted so that he could slip one hand under the hem of the undershirt, stroke the soft skin of Tony’s lower back.

“Maybe.” Tony wouldn’t argue that point – he’d never win. Steve would and had take responsibility for the fate of the world. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re still human.” Tony gently kissed down the underside of Steve’s jaw, lightly tugging at his hair to better expose the neck. “It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness. That is life.”

Steve pulled back to look at him. “That was… profound.”

Tony grinned. “I stole it from Star Trek.” At Steve’s utter lack of comprehension, Tony groaned and dropped his head, pressing his forehead against Steve’s. “Yeah, we’ll get there. You’d like Captain Picard. He’s as noble and honorable as you.”

Not knowing how to answer that – because that sounded suspiciously like admiration – Steve instead slid his hands down Tony’s body to cup his ass. 

“We’ll get there too, I promise,” Tony whispered. “But I’m not done yet.” He stood up fluidly and began to tug at Steve’s uniform. “I want you the rest of the way naked… and lie down, okay?” Then he stepped into the bathroom, thoroughly confusing Steve.

Despite his confusion, Tony’s orders were easy to follow. Steve peeled off the remainder of his uniform and stretched out on his back on the bed, his hands folded behind his head. To his surprise – and a little shame – he wasn’t even fully hard. He didn’t think that had ever happened in this close proximity to an undersuit clad Tony… which only reiterated how damned shaken he was.

Tony returned with his arms full – two steaming hot towels, a bottle of massage oil, and several dry towels. He nudged Steve aside and laid out dry towels, then urged him back onto them on his stomach. Carefully, Tony spread one hot towel across Steve’s shoulders and the second across hs ass and thighs. “Just relax, baby,” Tony murmured, bending down to kiss Steve’s cheek. 

And God, Steve wanted it to be real. Almost too much – almost enough to call this off, because the idea that this was… some kind of game… it hurt. He couldn’t, though. He would take what he could get – and greedily.

Abandoning the massage oil for now, Tony straddled Steve’s ankles and started to knead his thighs through the towel. The combination of heat and pressure made Steve groan. He hadn’t realized how tight he’d gotten, the results of several hours of fighting followed by more of tension. Tony apparently had. 

“We’ll get to the other stuff eventually,” Tony whispered, curling over him to kiss the small of his back above the towel. “But for now, just let me work on you, yeah?” At Steve’s inarticulate groan of agreement, Tony had to smile.

He continued the massage with a thoroughness that would surprise anyone except Pepper – since that’s who he’d learned for. Mechanics had strong hands and they served him well. By the time both towels were cool enough to be uncomfortable, Steve was a boneless puddle of goo beneath his hands – just as Tony had intended.

“You wanna roll over, and I’ll get your pecs?” Tony suggested, kissing behind Steve’s ear as he whispered the question. Despite his normally brash natural, Tony hadn’t risen above a loud whisper since they’d started.

In answer, Steve rolled over, careful not to dislodge Tony from the bed. And though he supposed it wasn’t proper massage procedure, Steve couldn’t help but draw Tony into his arms. The smaller man fit so nicely there – pressed together from knees to chin, their lips meeting in slow, sweet kisses. Steve felt almost intoxicated – he vaguely remembered the feeling, although he hadn’t been able to get drunk since Rebirth. 

Tony lifted a hand to Steve’s face, stroking his cheek. “You want to skip to that portion of the menu, or should I keep with the massage?”

“I don’t know,” Steve murmured back. “I just… needed to kiss you.”

“I can’t imagine ever objecting to that.” Tony continued to stroke his face, feather-light touches on his forehead and temples, sweeping his thumb across the cheekbone before touching full lips. His eyes met Steve’s, and he saw things in those blue eyes that he’d never speak… wondered if Steve could see them in his own. “Let me finish working you loose, baby. Your back was a mess of knots… I imagine your front is too.” Tony kissed him once more before resuming his work with a fresh coating of massage oil.

Steve lost track of time entirely. Nothing existed outside his bedroom – hell, even beyond the bed. All his focus was on Tony, and the incredible touches of his hands. This wasn’t sexual, but it was intensely intimate. Steve was drowning in sensation, swamped with – yes, damn it, with love. He knew he couldn’t ever say it, but that’s what this was, and – 

“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t.” Tony was straddling his knees now, where he’d been working on Steve’s feet. “You’ve gone tense again.”

Perhaps he should be grateful that Tony was facing away and couldn’t see his face. Steve wasn’t sure if he wanted to rage or cry. “Sorry.” If he could have reached him, he’d have run a comforting caress down the line of Tony’s back.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Tony shifted off him, twisting on the bed until he was kneeling beside Steve at his hip, able to reach out and stroke Steve’s chest – which he did.

“I thought we weren’t talking about it.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Not about this, not later. But if you’re eaten up by something so bad you can’t stay relaxed during a Stark Special Massage…”

For a fraction of a second, Steve considered confessing – just telling Tony what he was thinking. But he knew damned well how that would end, and… and Steve couldn’t take Tony running away from him. Just… couldn’t. He also couldn’t lie to Tony. “If I could talk about it, it would be to you,” he said finally. He reached out and put a hand on Tony’s thigh, noting the other man had gotten naked at some point as well.

Tony debated pushing – but something in Steve’s eyes suggested that wouldn’t end well. Alright. Tony could roll with that. He leaned over and caught Steve in a kiss. He kept it gentle, no matter how horny he’d gotten given the supersoldier a very thorough massage. This wasn’t about a quick bang – Steve needed to be taken care of tonight. It had been awhile since Tony tried – and he’d never done it for a man – but he figured it wasn’t much different than pampering Pepper had been. (Except Tony wasn’t likely to get told tomorrow that he needed to take a refresher course, or that he’d been ‘acceptable.’) “Alright. Just… try to relax for me, okay?” Steve nodded, and Tony kissed him again in reward.

He moved on to the next item on his agenda, a thorough exploration of Steve’s pecs and nipples with his tongue. At some points, Steve would be so sensitive that the bare touch of tongue or teeth on a nipple could send him headlong into orgasm. That didn’t seem to be the case tonight – or maybe Tony was just being gentler. He laved each nipple with careful passes of his tongue, pausing to lightly suckle at each nipple. Steve moaned and one hand came up to cup Tony’s head – a hand that was quickly pulled away. “It’s okay, baby. You can touch,” Tony assured him before returning to Steve’s nipple.

Steve carded his fingers through Tony’s hair, unable to keep from arching up into that mouth. “Feels good, doll.”

“I’m glad.” Tony rubbed his cheek against one firm pec. “You deserve to feel good, Steve.”

He didn’t feel particularly deserving – but then, he never did. “If you say so.”

“I do – and you know I’m a genius. I’m right.” Tony smiled – with more sweetness than the quip implied. He shifted his attention back to Steve’s chest, kissing and licking.

It was good – great, even – but it wasn’t precisely what Steve wanted right now… and the mood felt too tenuous for him to outright ask. Tony being a genius, though… he caught Steve’s slight shift.

“What do you need, sweetheart?” Tony murmured, shifting his kisses to Steve’s neck, the better to whisper in his ear. 

Steve bit his lip. “Take me?”

Tony pulled back to meet his eyes, just for a moment. “Alright.” He kissed Steve’s lips – slow and unhurried. “You don’t have to make it sound like a chore, Steve.”

“Just… you… said earlier… post-fight ride… like you wanted…”

“Not real picky about the position,” Tony told him, sliding his hands down Steve’s sides. “We haven’t managed to have bad sex yet, I don’t think we’ll start now.” He stood up – and Steve made a small and quickly stifled sound. “I’m just grabbing the lube, baby. I’ll be right back.”

Steve watched him, his eyes full of things he’d never named. He wanted… well, he wanted more. He’d take what he could get.

Tony returned with the bottle and dropped it onto the bed next to Steve. “I’m guessing you’d like to face me, yeah?” Steve nodded. “Alright. Lift your leg up… there you go.” Tony’s hands were gentle as he guided Steve’s legs open, slicking up his fingers and starting, very slowly, to prep Steve. “You’re so beautiful like this,” Tony murmured as Steve relaxed into his touch. “All spread out for me, practically begging to be touched.”

“Would begging help?” Steve whispered, rocking his hips against Tony’s hand. “Because I can.”

“I don’t need any more incentive to – take care of you, baby.” Tony dropped a kiss to the inside of Steve’s knee. He’d almost said a forbidden word there, quickly stifled. In deference to the tender tone he’d taken thus far, he worked Steve open slowly – all the way to four fingers. By that point, the supersoldier was rocking against him, whimpering.

“Please,” Steve gasped.

Tony pulled his fingers free and quickly replaced them with his cock. He’d been hard as hell for what felt like an hour – but moreover, he didn’t want Steve to feel empty right now. He pushed in slowly, groaning at the tight heat. “Better, baby?” Tony asked. He propped himself up on one hand, using the other to stroke Steve’s face.

“Yeah.” Steve pulled him closer, kissing him messily. He was losing what control he had in the face of relentless tenderness, unable to continue to be stoic when basking in Tony’s warmth. “God, you feel so good.” He rolled his hips, taking Tony even deeper.

Returning the kisses, Tony shifted his free hand between them to Steve’s cock, lightly stroking. He didn’t think it would take much – Steve was already making the soft panting noises that heralded his orgasm. For that matter, Tony wasn’t going to last long either – he’d had his hands all over ever inch of Steve’s body, and that would push anybody close to the edge.

“More,” Steve demanded, his hands latching on Tony’s ass. “God, please, more. Harder.”

Obligingly, Tony picked up the pace. He’d been trying to stay gentle – but he couldn’t, in the face of Steve’s hunger. “You’re so good for me, baby,” Tony whispered in his ear. “You take it so well.” Steve arched beneath him, a desperate moan bursting out of him. “That’s right, sugar – just let go, I’ve got you.”

And fuck if that wasn’t enough to push Steve over the edge. He came hard, his hands tightening on Tony’s ass – probably leaving fingertip bruises – and spilled between then. Tony held on for two strokes more before burying himself as deep as he could in Steve and coming as well, panting for breath. 

“I was trying to stay tender,” Tony said ruefully when he could breathe again. “You kind of derailed that plan.” He leaned down to kiss Steve.

“It was exactly what I needed.” Steve shifted his hands to Tony’s head, tangling in his hair and guiding the kiss. “Thank you.” There was more he wanted to say… needed to say… but didn’t.

Tony smiled and kissed him again before tugging away. “Anytime.” He retrieved the damp but now cold towel and wiped them both off. For a heart-stopping moment, Steve was afraid he was going to leave – but Tony merely deposited the used towels in the hamper in the bathroom before crawling into the bed. Though they’d only slept in a bed together once, there was no awkwardness. Steve held open his arms and Tony nestled into them as though they’d done it for years.

“Hey, Steve?” Tony asked after they’d settled.

“Yeah, doll?”

Tony settled more comfortably against Steve, his back nestled against Steve’s firm pecs. “Next fight, I expect you to take me hard up against the wall.”

Steve pressed a kiss to the back of Tony’s neck. “I can do that.”


End file.
